ATOM-PROBE COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS OF CO-CR SPUTTERED MAGNETIC THIN-FILMS

A Co-22 at. % magnetic thin film, sputter deposited on a heated Cu coa ted Si substrate, was analyzed in the planar direction of the film by atom probe field ion microscopy (APFIM). The atom probe concentration depth profile convincingly showed that the film contained two phases, one enriched in Cr up to 30-35 at. % and the other enriched in Co up t o 95-93 at. %. This result indicates that Co-22 at. % Cr thin film dep osited on a heated substrate consists of ferromagnetic and paramagneti c phases, each less than a few tens of nanometers in size.